STOA Science and Technology Options Assessment

Transcription

1 STOA Science and Technology Options Assessment STOA Panel meeting Draft Minutes Thursday, 15 September 2011, 9:30-11:00 SDM-1, Strasbourg The meeting started at 9:40 with Mr Rübig in the chair. The Chairman informed Panel members that Ms Ria OOMEN-RUIJTEN, Ms Teresa RIERA MADURELL and Mr António F. CORREIA DE CAMPOS were unable to attend the meeting. Vice-President Giles CHICHESTER was chairing the plenary until 10:00 a.m. and would join later. The Chairman welcomed: Mr Peter FATELNIG, Deputy Head of the Administration and Finance Unit, Directorate for Converged Networks and Services, DG INFSO, European Commission, and Mr Patrick GATELLIER, Thales Security Solutions & Services SAS, Chairman of the FI-PPP Steering Board, both present in relation to agenda item 3 ( Presentation of the Future Internet Public Private Partnership (FI-PPP,FP7 project) ). Mr Marc HEPPENER, Director of Science and Strategy Development, European Science Foundation (ESF), who was especially present in connection with agenda item 8.c. ( ESF Science of Innovation conference, EP, Brussels - Update ). Mr Leo HENNEN, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), who represented one of the STOA framework contractors. Ms Urska GRAHEK, who represented the Joint Research Centre (JRC). 1. Adoption of the draft agenda (PE ) The draft agenda was adopted with the addition of the point: 8.f. European Gender Summit, 8-9 November 2011, Brussels. 2. Approval of the draft minutes - STOA Panel meeting (PE ) The draft minutes of the STOA Panel meeting of 7 July 2011 were approved without modifications. 3. Presentation of the Future Internet Public Private Partnership (FI-PPP,FP7 project) Mr Peter FATELNIG provided an overview of the project. FI-PPP is a 300 mln FP7-funded programme, which was kicked off by Commissioner Neelie Kroes in May It aims to advance Europe's competitiveness in future Internet technologies and systems and to support the emergence of future Internetenhanced applications of public and social relevance. There are 152 different organisations involved, coming from industry (including some 20 SMEs), public organisations, research and academia. The Chairman suggested that DG INFSO could help in peer reviewing the current STOA project on Internet Security and Social Networks. He also stressed the importance of data protection in handling identity and transparency issues under the current conditions of Internet piracy. He then wondered how the following two issues could be reconciled: (i) making Internet secure with as the best possible personal identification procedures, and (ii) protecting the identity of the individual when he does not want to be identified. Mr Fatelnig stated that the user-provider modules were selected through an open call, and they were built on the same elements, even if they had different applications.

2 Mr Gatellier stated that the issue of privacy vs. security is based on ensuring that identity is what it claims to be, while assuring privacy. The question is what information should be provided in a specific context, which each time is different. The ideas of people about privacy are not the same, some technologies can be more precise, but educating users is absolutely necessary and this is part of the project. 4. STOA Annual Lecture 2011 The updated programme was circulated. Mr Györffi gave an overview of the recent developments. Neither Commissioner Oettinger, nor Commissioner Piebalgs was available for the event. Therefore, a further proposal was to explore the availability of Commission Vice-President Tajani, in whose competence area lies the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) project, or Commission Vice-President Kroes, as she is responsible for important programmes (e.g. FI-PPP) dealing, among others, with the management of the natural resources. He also presented a list of other potential speakers, agreed with Mr Tabajdi, to be contacted for their availability in the order listed: 1. Prof. Dr. Pavel Kabat, Chair and Science Director, Earth System Science & Climate Change Group, Waddenacademie KNAW, NRP Climate Change & Spatial Planning, Co-operative Programme on Water and Climate; 2. Lester Brown, recipient of many prizes/awards, including 25 honorary degrees, a MacArthur Fellowship, the 1987 United Nations' Environment Prize, the 1989 World Wide Fund for Nature Gold Medal, the 1994 Blue Planet Prize and the the Borgström Prize by the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry; 3. Alan Atkisson, formerly executive editor of the pioneering journal In Context: A Quarterly of Humane Sustainable Culture, co-founder of the Sustainable Seattle initiative; 4. Mikael Karlsson, elected President of the European Environmental Bureau, President of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, senior lecturer in environmental sciences for about 15 years, representative to WTO and UNEP ministerial meetings and member of several EU and Swedish public committees. Mr Györffi also informed the Panel that Mr Ristori, Director General of the JRC, had accepted to give a speech at the lunch, while the JRC would be the only organisation contributing to the exhibition. The Chairman explained that the event would close with the Sustainable Energy Prize to be awarded by the Energy Globe Foundation (EGF) in the evening. The High-Level Coordination Group (HLCG) that would oversee the final selection process held its constituent meeting on 21 June 2011 and met a second time on 31 August 2011 to discuss procedural issues, especially concerning the voting procedure by which the winner would be selected. The HLCG consists of the Chairmen of STOA and three committees on the STOA Panel (ITRE, ENVI and IMCO), Ms ŢICĂU from TRAN, the Vice-President responsible for STOA and President of the European Energy Forum, and the President of the European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources (EUFORES). The final selection would be made, by a vote of the Members present, out of a shortlist of five candidates provided by the EGF. The procedure would be identical to the one used for the election of the EP Vice-Presidents and Quaestors. There would be full interpretation and webstreaming. The Chairman urged each member of the HLCG to accompany one of the five scientists on the shortlist during their stay at the EP. The EP President and the JRC Director General should be invited to the evening event. The lunch, if authorised, would be in the presidential lounge and would probably be chaired by Mr Chichester. Coordination with the EP Press and Web Services should be established to ensure optimal coverage of the event. The Panel endorsed: (i) the proposal of the Chairman to send a pre-invitation to all MEPs, (ii) the suggestions of the further speakers, (iii) the procedure for the selection of the winner of the Sustainable Energy Prize. The organisation of the Annual Lecture would proceed according to the revised provisional programme.

3 5. STOA projects 5.a STOA projects - Update A table of the ongoing projects, indicating the Members and administrators responsible, and a bar chart indicating the project timelines were in the dossier. Mr Karapiperis informed the Panel about the launch of the project Sustainable management of natural resources and reminded Members of forthcoming workshops. He also informed the Panel about the launch of opinions on Cloud computing implications for personal data and network security and Measuring scientific performance for improved policy-making. Specifications were in preparation for the projects Possible role of methanol as an alternative fuel and Evaluation study on breast cancer. Given that these projects were sufficient for exhausting this year's budget, the Panel decided that the discussion of the remaining project proposals received in 2011 resume at the October Panel meeting. Mr Hennen raised the issue of why STOA in certain cases skips the request for opinion, as ETAG considers it necessary to have a reflection phase on proposed projects. The Chairman stressed the need to have a peer-review of finished projects. 6. Chairman's Announcements: 6.a. 3rd meeting of the EC International Dialogue on Bioethics, 20 September 2011, Brussels Mr Prodi had accepted to represent STOA at this meeting. The programme was in the dossier. 6.b. FUMAT Conference, September 2011, Warsaw The Chairman had been invited as a speaker and the EP President had approved his participation, as an official EP representative. The conference programme and the invitation were in the dossier. 6.c. Risk Governance Workshop, 29 September 2011, EP, Strasbourg - Update The final programme was in the dossier. The workshop would be announced to all Members and EP officials, as well as to all STOA contacts. The workshop would he held from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. after the regular meeting of the Panel, which would exceptionally last from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m. Mr Harbour mentioned the newly established EP Impact Assessment Directorate and argued that STOA would need to participate in its work. 6.d. Internet Governance Forum (IGF), September 2011, Nairobi The Conference of Presidents finally decided to send an EP delegation of three Members. Relevant documentation, including the composition of the delegation and the programme of the meeting, were in the dossier. Ms Riera Madurell would represent STOA on the EP delegation. 6.e. Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum, 2-4 October 2011, Kyoto The latest draft programme was in the dossier, as were a concept document and a preliminary programme of the conference Risk communication during emergencies - An informal exchange of views between Media, Science and Government organised by the EU Delegation to Japan on 1 October 2011, on the sidelines of the forum. 6.f. EPTA Conference/Council October 2011, Berlin The latest version of the programme was in the dossier. Mr Correia de Campos would represent STOA. 6.g. IRGC Annual Event, 3 November 2011, Lausanne 6.h. European Science Summit, 24 November 2011, Brussels Mr Györffi informed the Panel about the two forthcoming events. 6.i) JRC-EASAC 1 joint event, 18 October 2011, Brussels 6.j) EASAC 10th anniversary event The Use of Science in Policy-Making Mr Karapiperis informed the Panel about the two events and Ms Grashek elaborated on the first. 1 European Academies Science Advisory Council

4 The Panel accepted the proposal of the Chairman to invite EASAC to the award of the Sustainable Energy Prize. 7. Visits/External Activities 7.a. ESOF 2012, July 2012, Dublin The two STOA proposals (joint session with the JRC on Science-driven policy-making and scientific session centred on the STOA project Technology Transfer from Public Research Organisations ) had passed the first review process and the deadline for revising them was on that day (15 September 2011, 12:00). The application deadline for the previously mentioned series of ESOF 2012 Science to Business sessions, in which STOA would participate jointly with Science Business, a Brussels-based journal, had been extended to 15 October STOA could participate in this part of the programme, beyond the already submitted proposal on Technology Transfer, with sessions on IPR or Public Procurement and Innovation. Mr Harbour noted the opportunity provided by the cooperation with Science Business, urged Panel Members to put the event on their diary, and called for the organisation of meetings between MEPs and scientists at the conference venue, as it was previously done in ESOF The Panel asked the Secretariat to pursue these proposals, in close cooperation with the Bureau. 8. Joint activities with external organisations 8.a. European Innovation Summit 2011, October 2011, Warsaw & Brussels - Update The latest version of the programme was in the dossier. STOA's contribution to the summit would be the workshop of the project Making Perfect Life already planned for 11 October b. International Year of Chemistry, 9 November 2011, EP, Brussels The provisional programme was in the dossier. The Panel invited the Secretariat to continue with the organisation along the lines of the provisional programme, in close cooperation with Ms Riera Madurell and the Bureau. 8.c. ESF Science of Innovation conference, 5 December 2011, EP, Brussels - Update Given the fact the European Commission is organising a major event on 5-6 December 2011 on the same subject, the Panel decided on 28 February 2012 as the new date. Mr Heppener noted that work on the programme would start and the Panel would be regularly informed. The Secretariat was asked to proceed with the organisation. 8.d. Workshop on Scientific Data Infrastructures, 20 October 2011, EP, Brussels The draft agenda was in the dossier. On a proposal by Ms Riera Madurell, the Panel decided that this event would be co-organised by STOA. The Secretariat was asked to proceed with the organisation. 8.e. Presentation of GEOSET (Global Educational Outreach for Science Engineering & Technology) Prof. Sir Harold Kroto, Florida State University, Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1996, had been involved in a world-wide project (GEOSET) aimed at producing education modules in different scientific fields, which should be available over the Internet. He had contacted STOA, in the context of the promotion of his project within the European Institutions. The Panel decided to invite him to the Annual Lecture, in which he could talk about aspects of his project relevant to the theme of the Lecture. The Secretariat was asked to contact him along these lines. 8.f. European Gender Summit, 8-9 November 2011, Brussels In March 2011, the Panel had decided that STOA would be a partner of this event. The draft programme and a flyer about the event had been distributed. Responding to a request from the organisers, the Panel decided that:

5 (i) The Vice-President responsible for STOA would become a patron of the event and would open the summit on Tuesday, 8 November 2011, at 14:00; (ii) Ms Ţicău would be asked if she would like to chair the session Advancing effectiveness of innovation: Gendered R&D: Innovation talent of women and men on Tuesday, 8 November Date of next meeting The next STOA Panel meeting will take place on Thursday, 29 September 2011, at 9:00 a.m. in Room SDM-S1 in Strasbourg. Brussels, 20 September Members of the Panel: Mr Rübig, Mr Chichester, Mr Harbour. ANNEX List of participants STOA Secretariat: Mr Karapiperis, Mr Györffi, Mr Ide-Kostic, Mr Plese, Mr Evrard, Ms Villers, Ms Hoitsch Also present: Ms Paripovic (Assistant to Dr Rübig), Mr Ferreira (Assistant to Mr Correia de Campos), Ms Grahek (EC, JRC), Mr Heppener (ESF), Mr Hennen (KIT), Mr Fatelnig (DG INFSO), Mr Gatellier (Thales Security Solutions & Services SAS).